Springfield Pride Parade Organization Executive Director Taurean Bethea unveils plans at City Hall for fifth annual parade weekend.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
SPRINGFIELD — What began as a vision for a community celebration five years ago is now gearing up for one of its biggest weekends yet. The Springfield Pride Parade Weekend is back from June 4-6.
To celebrate the organization’s impact and unveil plans for this year’s events, Springfield Pride Parade Organization Executive Director Taurean Bethea was joined by Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Judi Crowell and Division of Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris on April 30.
The Springfield Pride Parade Organization is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to leadership development, workforce readiness and opportunity for young people across Springfield. Bethea began the organization in 2017 after a hate comment on social media about his assumed sexual orientation resonated with him.
The organization’s website has a quote from Bethea stating, “At the time, I was a closeted gay Black male, not because of shame, but because coming out as a gay Black male can be life threatening, even in the 21st century … on Oct. 17, 2017, three days after my 33rd birthday, I decided to stand with those, young and old, that may have had something that should be celebrated and encouraged framed in hate. I decided to commit my life to helping individuals be unapologetically who they are.”
The parade weekend aims to be a community-driven movement of support, inclusivity and public recognition to “remind our LGBTQIA+ youth that they are safe, they are loved and they are not alone,” according to the website.
“I’m super excited about this year,” Bethea said. “Pride is bigger than just one day, you know, pride is community, pride is access to health care, to just things that a lot of what our youth need here. We’re not just celebrating color and enjoying the fun, we’re celebrating lives that we’re seeing everyday.”
The weekend kicks off in front of Springfield City Hall on Thursday, June 4, with a flag raising and a Credit for Life session, which informs youth on life skills like applying to college, finding a job, saving and budgeting.
The main event on Friday, June 5, introduces something a little more fun, according to Bethea, with a “Pride Strikes Charity Bowling” event.
The parade steps off at noon on Saturday, June 6, beginning on the Springfield Technical Community College campus and marching to Stearns Square for the annual block party.
“I’m so excited that this is our fifth year, I cannot believe it,” Bethea said. “Our theme this year is ‘Beyond the Rainbow,’ which means we are going beyond just celebrating one day; it’s a year round effort.”
Sarno said that when the parade began, he received calls, emails and letters from some people who may have been against it, but that the backlash has significantly declined over the past five years. He added that over 5,000 people celebrated it for the first year, making it one of the biggest celebrations in the state.
“You still have haters out there, for whatever reason, but we have to show them that love, respect and pride are going to champion,” Sarno said.
Crowell said she looks forward to this event every year and said that everybody needs a place to go where they don’t feel left out, and that’s what this initiative is.
Caulton-Harris began by thanking Sarno for making sure Springfield is an inclusive city and was proud to have him as a boss before expressing her appreciation for Bethea and his movement.
“I have such a great affection for this young man, who took a risk, came home and said ‘I am going to create something so that all of the individuals in our city feel seen,’ and he has done that,” Harris said. “Taurean, I am so incredibly proud of you.”
Harris told the story of Carl Walker Hoover, a Springfield Public Schools sixth grader who died by suicide in 2009 after relentless bullying by other students who told Hoover that he was “acting gay” on a daily basis. She said that Bethea’s efforts to reach out to students in school through the IGNITE and Future Sparks youth programs has given them a voice, a place and have allowed them to be seen.
“I am so incredibly proud that we have stopped, through [Bethea’s] efforts and our ability to fund, our many children from feeling isolated, hopeless, powerless,” Harris said. “Taurean Bethea has made that difference in Springfield.”
The Springfield Pride Parade Organization is also calling for all musicians, dancers, drag artists and all other performers to help bring the energy and power of pride to life in Springfield for the block party by submitting a consideration form at SpringfieldPrideParade.org/Pride5. Vendors, partners or parade participants can also apply on the same page.
Donations to the organization can also be made on the website.
